My Favorite Thing
by MidnightIndigo
Summary: Castle comforts his daughter late at night after a nightmare.  Just some Castle family fluff.


**A/N: EXTREME FLUFF. Just because I like fluff. Cute little one-shot about Alexis, kinda short. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.**

Rick glared at the time, mocking him from the corner of the screen. His fingers rested idly on the keyboard, having long since written a word he hadn't immediately erased. His newest manuscript was due in two days, and he currently hated his life. The kittle black numbers changed again, and he shut the laptop on them. He left it on his desk and wandered up the stairs, though be was far from tired. Instead he opened the door next to his slowly, wincing slightly when it creaked, but the girl on the small bed didn't stir. He sat down in the rocking chair and watched her sleep.

She clutched a small monkey, dirty and well-loved, tightly to her chest, one thumb held firmly between her baby teeth. Her red hair remained in the braids she'd worn to school the day before, and rainbow streaks of marker still showed up on her arms from art class. Rick smiled slightly at his sleeping daughter, though sadness managed to infiltrate the expression when her eyes closed tighter and her nose wrinkled, and she started to kick at her covers.

She'd been having nightmares lately, and Rick didn't quite know what to do about her dreams being plagued by monsters and skeletons. He wanted to protect her from everything, make sure nothing could scare her, but he couldn't prevent bad dreams, he could only hold her and comforter after they arrived and she'd woken in fear. He'd learned that she was a deep sleeper and wouldn't wake up when he tried, so he had to wait until she woke on her own.

Tonight it was longer than usual, and she was crying in her sleep, calling out for him. Everytime she yelled, "Daddy!" in terror his heart wrenched. He wished he could fight off the demons for her, but he had to wait. Some battles he couldn't fight for her; she had to fight for herself.

Finally she screamed and her eyes flew open. Rick quickly moved onto the bed as she sat up. She launched herself into his lap and buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing. He rubbed her back and laid his cheek on the top of her head, his arms surrounding her and holding her close, keeping the monsters at bay for a while. "It's okay, baby, you're okay..." he murmured gently.

She latched onto his shirt, her little fists entwined in the fabric. "Daddy, Daddy, the monsters are coming to get me!" she cried.

"No, the monsters are gone for now, you're okay—"

She quickly pulled away so she could put her hands on either side of his face and look into his eyes, blue meeting blue. They had the exact same shade of eyes. "But Daddy," she whispered solemnly, "what if they come back?"

He pulled her back to him and she scrunched her face against his chest. "Then we'll fight them with swords and lightsabers and we'll march into battle singing songs from The Sound Of Music. Right?" She looked up at him quizzically, and he took that as a prompt to start singing. "Raindrops on roses..."

He paused to let her continue. It took a minute, but she finally sang the next line. "Whiskers on kittens..." she mumbled.

"Bright copper kettles—"

"And warm woolen mittens." A smile slowly made its way onto her face as they sang in unison.

"Brown paper packages tied up with string—"

She put her hand over his mouth so she could belt out, "These are a few of my favorite things!"

He grinned as she dropped her hand. "That's my girl."

She cuddled against him once again. "You'll always be here, right, Daddy? You won't ever leave?"

"Of course, I'll be right here, always."

"You'll hold me all night?"

He nodded, and she could feel the movement.

"And we'll fight the monsters together?"

"Of course, sweetheart. Are you going to sleep, or do you just want to sit her all night and then we can eat ice cream and you won't have to go to school and we'll go to the park?"

She made a face. "Daddy, we have to go to school."

"Okay, okay. But we're still eating ice cream for breakfast and we'll go to the park after school."

"Okay, Daddy." She smiled. "I don't know if I can sleep some more."

"That's okay. We can just sit here and watch the sunrise, okay?"

She nodded. Rick leaned against the bedboard and pulled the blanket over them. She snuggled into his lap. Despite her doubt of her ability to fall asleep again, she was yawning within minutes, her eyes sliding closed gradually. He thought that she'd fallen asleep until she murmured, half-asleep," Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"What's your favorite thing?"

He kissed the top of her head, running his hand through her soft, wispy hair. "You."

**A/N: Hope you liked it! Feedback is always appreciated. :)**


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